Jap chae

Method

1. For the beef: mix all of the beef ingredients together in a bowl, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least half an hour.

2. For the noodles: prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse them in cold water. Place in a mixing bowl with the soy sauce and toss until coated.

3. For the omelette: heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. When hot, pour in the eggs to make a thin omelette. Cook slowly for 3-4 minutes, to avoid browning the omelette, then flip over and cook the other side until set.

4. Slide the omelette onto a chopping board and fold in half. Cut into 5mm strips, season with a pinch of salt and set aside.

5. For the vegetables: heat the vegetable oil in a wide, deep-sided pan over a medium heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and fry gently, without browning, for about 5 minutes, until softened and translucent.

6. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the marinated beef and any juices in the bowl and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the spring onions, carrots, mushrooms and spinach. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

7. Tip in all the remaining vegetable ingredients, plus the noodles and omelette and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until the noodles are glossy and hot through. Serve at once.


Cook’s note: sweet potato glass noodles, also called Korean vermicelli or sweet potato vermicelli, are Korean noodles made from sweet potato starch. They are long, thin, translucent noodles with a slightly chewy texture. Buy them in Asian stores or from online suppliers. If you can’t get hold of any, substitute rice vermicelli noodles which are available from most supermarkets.